Kevin Costner finally reveals why he left ‘Yellowstone’, and it’s more than just a feud with Taylor Sheridan
One of the most talked-about criticisms of Yellowstone’s' final season was the absence of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton. In a surprising twist, John was killed off, paving the way for Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) to step into the lead role. Amid swirling rumors of a feud between showrunner Taylor Sheridan and Costner, the actor has now opened up about the real and harsh reasons behind his departure from the beloved series.
In a recent interview with Radio Times, Costner said, "I'm willing to do anything where I feel like what I'm doing is for myself. It doesn't have to be a Western; it could be something else. But when something is no longer interesting to me, or there's some other reason that I need to move on, I'm willing to do that. I think you can write a short story and it can live forever. You can write a novel and it can live forever. You can make a short movie and it can live forever. It's about how you're telling it. It's about if other people are going to be able to relate to it and move to it," as per Collider.
He continued, "That's why there are certain books that continue to live with us, that we pass on to our children. I think the hope for me is that I can stay relevant, not only to myself but also to people who find my work. I can't create work that I think is going to find them. I can only create work that, when they do find it, reflects what I was feeling and my sensibility. And hopefully they're moved by it." In a 2024 interview with People, Costner commented on how 'Yellowstone' was first pitched to him, noting that Sheridan's original vision aligned with his own sensibilities.
Costner recalled, "When it was first pitched to me by Taylor, it was one season and [like] a long movie, which [is] speaking my language… but ultimately, I think what happened was the studio didn't want that. And because he's such a prolific writer, he said, 'I can do that. I can make a series that goes on.'" If 'Yellowstone' had been Costn's own creation, he likely would have insisted on making it as a limited series, regardless of studio demands. But Sheridan wasn't in a strong position to push back at the time, having already been rejected by HBO when he pitched the idea.
In the end, things worked out far better than Sheridan could have imagined when he first shopped 'Yellowstone' around and asked Costner to take the lead role. Its 53-episode run made it one of the most successful neo-Westerns ever and laid the foundation for an entire TV universe, as per ScreenRant. As Costner has noted, Sheridan is capable of writing dozens of TV episodes per year almost single-handedly, so expanding 'Yellowstone' into a long-running franchise was never an issue.
Despite Yellowstone's expansion, the show retained the cinematic visual style Sheridan originally envisioned. Costner was open to continuing for multiple seasons, saying he "stepped up," and added, "I'll do it for three seasons." As the series became a major hit, Costner happily carried on as the show's lead, stating, "I ended up doing it for five [seasons]." By the time he finished playing John Dutton, the character had become one of the most iconic roles in his distinguished acting career.